Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Luminary Media raises $40M; sources say it plans to launch subscription service for premium podcasts, has begun to strike licensing deals with podcast creators — The newly created venture has raised $40 million from New Enterprise Associates and others to enter the rapidly expanding realm of podcasting and audio.
Amy X. Wang / Rolling Stone:
Apple Music says it removed R. Kelly's music from featured playlists weeks ago while Pandora currently does not promote the singer's music — Three streaming services have now removed the R&B singer's music from curated playlists — Spotify caused a mighty stir yesterday when it announced that …
Discussion:
Pitchfork, The Blast, The Daily Beast, Engadget and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Stella Bugbee / The Cut:
Anna Wintour's effort to rehabilitate the reputation of Harvey Weinstein's estranged wife, designer Georgina Chapman, is a way to seek forgiveness for herself — Anna Wintour is our Fashion Pope, the infallible ruler of Vogue, fashion's Vatican. Both because of her reputation …
Discussion:
Fashionista, New York Times, @gregorg, Fortune, @lpolgreen, @janinegibson, @victoriaspies, @edmundlee, @askmrmickey, @ruthannharnisch, Vogue and Slate
Reuters:
Internal email: AT&T's CEO says hiring Michael Cohen was a serious misjudgment, but “was done according to the law and entirely legitimate” — (Reuters) - Hiring President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was a “big mistake,” AT&T Inc (T.N) …
Discussion:
CNNMoney, @hadas_gold, Quartz, Vanity Fair, Above the Law, CNNMoney, The Wrap and CNBC
RELATED:
Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Internal AT&T documents show it made a $600K deal with Cohen days after inauguration, specifying he would advise on Time Warner merger and on matters before FCC
Internal AT&T documents show it made a $600K deal with Cohen days after inauguration, specifying he would advise on Time Warner merger and on matters before FCC
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Fortune, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, Vanity Fair, Broadcasting & Cable, NPR, Fast Company, Techdirt, Gizmodo, Mediaite, 89.3 KPCC, New York Magazine, Washington Post, The Root, Splinter, Dealbreaker, Slate and The Hill
Ann-Christine Diaz / Creativity Online:
HBO joins The Atlantic's Question Your Answers series, a collection of short films designed to foster civil discourse and help expand the magazine's reach — The campaign broadens with support and talent from the broadcaster — Editor's Pick — Actor Jeffrey Wright ("The Hunger Games" …
Carol Morello / Washington Post:
One of only two reporters on Mike Pompeo's mission to North Korea gives a behind-the-scenes account of the trip to bring three prisoners home — The State Department normally craves elaborate planning and procedures for everything. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's 13-hour visit to North Korea had little of that.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @yashar, @davidnakamura and @cfishman
The Guardian:
Eulogy for Cambodia's independent press, after an investor bought The Phnom Penh Post and demanded an article be removed, prompting a mass staff resignation — There are no reliable sources of information left. Not for ordinary people, diplomats or NGOs — This week the last banner …
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Sources: NBC News staffers skeptical of Lauer harassment internal inquiry; Brokaw accuser declined to participate in investigation without a neutral third party — The results of NBC's internal investigation into how its former biggest star repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct in the office …
Ian Burrell / The Drum:
The BBC is hoping to use its strength in music coverage to sell more sponsorships via its branded content arm, StoryWorks, to support its global operations — The BBC plans to use its reputation for championing music artists, such as Ed Sheeran, Adele and Jay-Z, to strike commercial deals around …
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: NewTV, Jeffrey Katzenberg's effort to fund high-end TV series with short episodes, raises $800M, including from 21st Century Fox and Warner Bros. — - Hollywood mogul looks to make shows with short running times — Executive helped lead Walt Disney's comeback during the 1980s
Discussion:
@joshelman, Tubefilter and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
William Malcolm / The Keyword:
As part of GDPR compliance, Google updates its privacy policy for more clarity, improves controls to manage your data, adds more services under data portability — Last year, we outlined Google's commitment to comply with Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) …
Discussion:
Mashable, NewsBusters, Nextgov, The Drum, Engadget, The Verge and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
David Skok:
Interview with Google News VP Richard Gingras on data privacy, Google's internal culture and politics, criticism ahead of the GDPR, and rethinking journalism — The head of Google News discusses the news ecosystem, responds to GDPR criticism, and answers the question: Is Google really a child of the open web?
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @sophienadeau, @jason_kint, @mrjohncrowley, @mdichristina, Nieman Lab, @jason_kint, @niemanlab and @niemanlab